After years of hearings and lawsuits, it’s time to get the Resolution Copper mine at Oak Flat up and running. This major investment in Arizona will bring jobs and economic benefits to the area.

By: Vicky Peacey, president and general manager of Resolution Copper

Date: June 11, 2026

Outlet: The Arizona Republic

After over a decade, the path forward for Resolution Copper and the benefits it will bring are clear. The critics had their say — in federal permitting, in courtrooms, in Congress, and in the press — and lost at every turn. Now comes the important part for Superior, Arizona, our state’s economy, and our country’s future.

Three months ago, Resolution Copper completed its long-awaited land exchange, giving the federal government 5,400 acres in National Forests and Conservation Areas in exchange for 2,400 acres by the historic Magma mine in Superior.

Now past this milestone, we can start building one of America’s most important copper mines and delivering the economic opportunity, jobs, and community investment Arizona has been waiting for.

One of the largest private investments in rural Arizona

This project represents one of the largest private investments in rural Arizona’s history. Once operational, Resolution Copper will contribute approximately $1 billion annually to Arizona’s economy and has the potential to supply nearly one-quarter of America’s domestic copper needs — a mineral critical for telecommunications, energy infrastructure, housing construction, and national security.

We have already posted dozens of positions for immediate hiring, with dozens more to come by the end of the year. These aren’t distant promises – these are real opportunities for well-paid, secure jobs intended to support families in Arizona communities where mining has been part of the economic fabric for more than a century.

Over the next two years, Resolution Copper will invest approximately $500 million to start development and provide support for Native American and local communities. These dollars will flow to the surrounding Copper Triangle region –including Globe, Miami, Superior, Kearny, Hayden and Winkelman – through jobs, tax revenues and direct payments to local communities and through the amplifying effect of increased business at local shops and restaurants, as well as significant procurement opportunities for local suppliers to the mine.

Will the public have access to Oak Flat?

Public access remains a priority. The Oak Flat campground remains open and accessible for family picnics, group events and outdoor enthusiasts, just as it has been for generations. We’ve partnered with a local Apache-owned business to manage the campground. Cultural traditions, recreation, and mining have coexisted in this area for a century. That’s not changing.

We recognize not everyone supports this project. We respect their right to make their voices heard. But Arizona cannot afford to let false accusations get in the way of our prosperous future.

A loud handful of voices claim this land exchange was a “sell-out” to China. Don’t believe them.

Where will the mined copper go?

Our plan is to keep the copper we mine in the United States. Resolution Copper has access to Rio Tinto’s Kennecott facility, one of only two active copper smelters in the country, with the refining capacity to take output from the mine to finished metal. The final pathway will depend on technical, commercial, and permitting factors, but we’re uniquely positioned to deliver a fully American copper supply chain.

Further, while a Chinese-based company holds roughly 11% of the publicly traded shares of Rio Tinto, one of our joint venture owners, this means it passively holds a mere 6% of Resolution Copper. It doesn’t direct our project or control our copper. Meanwhile, 25% of Rio Tinto is owned by American shareholders — the largest stake of any country. Rio Tinto has operated in the United States for over 150 years and provided America with domestically mined and refined copper for over 120 years.

Critics will tell you this project didn’t have input from Native American communities. Don’t believe them.

The project has undergone more than 11 years of rigorous, independent review, including extensive consultation and co-design with Native American tribes, local communities, civil society organizations, and federal, state and county agencies. Resolution Copper, in partnership with four Western Apache tribes, continued funding the Emory Oak Collaborative Tribal Restoration Initiative. This engagement led to significant changes to the mining plan, including measures to preserve access to Oak Flat and physically avoid areas of cultural significance identified by tribes, like Apache Leap. We will continue to engage as project details come into focus. The tribal and local partnerships will not end with the land exchange, they will deepen, including with the significant number of San Carlos Apache members in our current and future workforce.

Who supported the Oak Flat project?

Critics continue to make these fatalistic and entirely false claims about this project. Congress directed this land exchange. Multiple presidents of both parties have supported it. Every legal challenge to the land exchange has been rejected by courts at every level because none of the arguments against the project have any merit.

We shouldn’t let the voices of a few and their lawyers dictate national policy or Arizona’s economic future. Resolution Copper’s success will be measured not just in tons of ore extracted, but in the strength of the partnerships we build, the local prosperity we generate, and the trust we earn from our neighbors.

The work begins now. Our region is ready.